NEW YORK -- AAA is set to begin promoting the AAA Travel High
School Challenge, which will offer $156,000 in scholarships in 2003
in an effort to lure more students into travel as a career, Sandra
Hughes, AAA's vice president, travel services, told delegates to
AAA's annual travel conference here Oct. 13.
AAA, with support from a number of preferred suppliers, will
promote the competition while the scholarship funds will come from
the Hogan Family Foundation.
The program is modeled after the AAA/Fort Auto Skills
competition and travel educator Marc Mancini's Geography Bowl, and
Mancini will be the facilitator, Hughes said.
The competition for students in any high school grade, to test
geography and travel knowledge, will begin in January when
contestants take a Web-based exam at www.aaa.com.
The top five scorers in each state and Washington D.C. will
compete for $1,000 scholarships. Top winners in these contests will
compete nationally for three $10,000 and three $25,000
scholarships.